'Spoke brilliantly' but Liverpool fans torn on Mac Allister contract comments

Alexis Mac Allister has made over 150 appearances for Liverpool

Did Alexis Mac Allister strike the right tone when he told the media about his contract situation with Liverpool?

The Argentine midfielder has a deal with the Reds until 2028, but said on Tuesday that he is “very sad” not to have received a new contract in the summer after team-mates Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch penned new agreements.

The public approach to stalling contract dealings is nothing new at Liverpool.

In November 2024, Mohamed Salah spoke openly about his contract stalemate when he admitted he was “disappointed” by a lack of offers from the club, as he entered the final six months of his deal.

Salah was eventually offered an extension and Mac Allister will be hoping for the same.

But as they were with Salah, opinions are split on whether taking it public was the fair thing to do.

Fans contacting BBC Sport claim the ordeal is “self-indulgent”, while former Everton and Chelsea winger, Pat Nevin believes Mac Allister “said exactly the right things”.

Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast: “I often hear various players saying things and pushing things a certain way and you get a bit fed up with it.

“You’re thinking, ‘go whinge and whine somewhere else mate, you’re doing OK’. Not this time.

“I thought he spoke brilliantly. I thought he said exactly the right things - that he loves the club. Any fan watching that is thinking how he just wants to play for Liverpool Football Club.

“He’s just shown us that is the case and if you are asked the question you answer it honestly. He is saying he’s seen his mates getting these contracts which might be disappointing, but he’s saying all the correct things I think.

“I take nothing away from that, I applaud him for all that.

“Things can change very quickly. It didn’t look like Cody Gakpo would leave very recently and then suddenly he’s knocking.

“If he is asking for far too much money and putting that pressure on it then he is playing a very good game because to speak the way he did there didn’t sound like that. It sounded like somebody who just wanted a contract offered.”

BBC Radio Merseyside also discussed the situation with Liverpool fan, Joel Richards, who called Mac Allister’s comments a “clever tactic”.

“Mac Allister’s at an age now, 27, where his next contract is going to be the biggest one of his career,” Richards said.

“He is someone who will be looking to be remunerated properly after seeing his team-mates getting bumper pay rises so, of course he’s going to put it out there that he came very close to leaving in the summer.

“I’d say it’s a clever tactic but how many times have we been here with footballers when they get a microphone put in front of them? If it wasn’t going to happen here before a Champions League game, it would have happened with Argentina on international duty.

“Objectively speaking, if you’re going to canvas the opinions of a decent size of Liverpool fans from last season, asked them what you thought on Mac Allister and whether he was deserving of a new deal, I think a large majority of that sample size would say ‘no’ simply because of the performances that he put in.

“However, it’s easy to focus on the negatives of last season whereas, his first two seasons at Liverpool he was an important player for us.”

Liverpool’s communications department have dealt with tricky player-led controversies in recent times.

Salah told media he had been “thrown under the bus” during a stand-off with former boss Arne Slot last season, Dominik Szoboszlai had to clear up a move to shrug his shoulders at fans after defeat at Manchester City and now Mac Allister has made contract frustration public.

Some fans think the World Cup winner could have held back.

Writing in to BBC Sport, supporter Rob said Mac Allister “should do his talking on the pitch, not off it”, while fan Patricio said the move was “childish” and that the midfielder should “earn” an extension.

BBC Sport reader David wrote: “Very poor from Mac Allister on so many levels. He still has two years remaining on his existing contract, had a very poor season so is not in a position to renegotiate terms unlike other players he referred to, and no doubt he is fully aware there will be a time to negotiate a new contract later in the season if his form improves.”

And fan Stuart added: “Self-indulgent and not in any way helpful. Alexis was there to represent the club ahead of a huge match and first major Anfield occasion for Iraola, not to air his contract grievance. You’re not bigger than the club even if you are a World Cup winner.”

Como officials giving up seats to older fans for Euro debut

Como president Mirwan Suwarso and several directors are giving up their tickets for the club’s Champions League debut to allow elderly supporters to attend.

The Serie A club will host RB Leipzig on Thursday (20:00 BST) after qualifying for the continental competition for the first time in their 119-year history.

They did so by finishing fourth in the Italian top flight last season under former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

However, the demand for tickets for Como’s historic European debut has far exceeded the supply.

The club’s home venue of Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on the shores of Lake Como has a capacity of about 12,000, but that number was reduced further by 1,000 because of Uefa’s broadcasting and operational requirements.

After the tickets were sold out, Indonesian businessman Suwarso has now announced on Instagram that he and other club executives plan to surrender their seats for older fans.

“With the reduced capacity and the limited number of tickets available, unfortunately we cannot accommodate everyone who would have liked to be there,” Suwarso wrote.

“However, some club executives and I have decided to give up our seats for this match.”

“We want those seats to be allocated to supporters who have waited the longest - fans born in 1950 or earlier, who have followed Como through every division and every era.”

“We will be honoured to give up our seat for them.”

Como have enjoyed a remarkable rise in recent years, climbing from the lower divisions to secure a place among Europe’s elite.

The Lombardy-based outfit - who have twice gone bankrupt in the past two decades - ended a 21-year wait to reach Serie A in 2024 after a third promotion in six seasons.

They finished 10th in their first season in the top division before former Spain international Fabregas guided them to a top-four finish and a place in the Champions League last term.

After their opener against Leipzig, Como will also face Feyenoord, Manchester United, Lens, AEK Athens, Real Betis, Paris St-Germain and Barcelona in their maiden European campaign.

Newcastle were 'preparing for months' for Howe departure

Eddie Howe ended Newcastle United’s 70-year wait to win a major domestic trophy by lifting the Carabao Cup in 2025

Newcastle United sporting director Ross Wilson says the club were preparing for former head coach Eddie Howe’s departure for up to nine months.

Although Howe had originally intended to carry on this season, the drained manager decided to step down in July because he felt it was in the best interests of all parties for him to take a break.

It was a summer of huge change, as several key players departed, but Newcastle did not envisage Howe leaving when he did following nearly five years in charge.

However, Wilson is adamant the Englishman’s exit was not “chaotic” or “painful” because the club had a contingency plan in place, which led to the appointment of Matthias Jaissle.

“We always knew where we were going to go,” Wilson said. “That doesn’t mean we were always going to Matthias, but he was always part of our planning.

“Part of our responsibility as leaders of the club is to be prepared and Eddie is an exceptionally talented coach.

“That means he was probably going to do something else at some point so we had to be prepared for that.”

Newcastle spoke to multiple candidates, but Wilson said Jaissle emerged as their first-choice to replace a “legend of the club”.

The Scot, who was appointed in October, said he had “been planning for a managerial change for eight or nine of those months” in the background.

Newcastle’s hierarchy always knew they wanted Howe’s eventual successor to build on the foundations he put in place with an aggressive, high-pressing playing style.

Jaissle also had a history of developing younger players, particularly during his previous spell at Red Bull Salzburg, which aligned with Newcastle’s strategy of targeting signings aged 24 and under.

Following Wilson’s first meeting with Jaissle, who joined from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, Newcastle chief executive David Hopkinson told him he sounded “really excited about this one”.

“I didn’t deliberately go on the phone to do that,” Wilson said. “But I remember saying ‘you’re probably right. I think this is it’.”

Jaissle remains unbeaten in his first four games in charge of Newcastle in all competitions.

However, only three of the club’s eight summer signings - Lukas Hornicek, Amar Dedic and Nico Gonzalez - started in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth.

It felt like a reminder of the time it will take some of the new arrivals to bed in during what Jaissle has repeatedly called a “transition phase”.

Newcastle have forecast a range of financial scenarios, depending on where the club finish this season, but Wilson maintained the German has not been set a specific target for the campaign.

Hopkinson, though, reiterated that Newcastle’s ultimate ambition is to “consistently and credibly compete” for the top honours in the long run.

After entering into a Uefa settlement, following a breach of the European football governing body’s financial rules, Hopkinson stressed Newcastle needed to be compliant with the game’s regulations to do so.

The Magpies have set out to boost revenues by 50% between now and 2030 - mainly through sponsorship deals - but trading players will remain a key part of the club’s strategy in order to reinvest.

“We want to have players here who are on a journey with us,” Wilson said.

“Equally, if some of those players’ journeys go at rapid speed, they might go somewhere else but, of course, that’s normal. That’s part of football.”

Although Newcastle had prepared for the departures of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, to Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, the club had never planned to lose talisman Bruno Guimaraes.

Newcastle also had to readjust during the window after top targets Victor Munoz and Johan Manzambi joined Liverpool and Aston Villa respectively.

However, aside from Guimaraes going to Arsenal, Wilson claimed “everything else that happened during the window was part of the plan”.

“That does not mean that every single player [who signed] was the number one name on our list, but that is never the case in any transfer window,” he said.

“Clearly we were disappointed a couple of times but, again, that’s normal.

“No club goes into the window and reaches the end getting every target they set out to get. If they say they did, it is a lie.”

Sheff Utd sign experienced forward Ayew

Sheffield United have signed former Crystal Palace and Leicester City forward Jordan Ayew on a deal until the end of the season.

The 34-year-old, who has won 124 caps for Ghana, was a free agent after leaving the Foxes at the end of last season following their relegation to League One.

Ayew joined Aston Villa from Lorient in 2015 and has spent the past 11 years in the Premier League and Championship.

“We’re talking about someone here with bags of experience from right at the top level of the game,” boss Chris Wilder told the club website.

“Only a few months ago he was captaining Ghana in the World Cup, so he’s someone with real pedigree.

“He did well at this level last season in difficult circumstances and has played all across the front positions during his career which gives us plenty of options.”

Meanwhile, Blades defender Nils Zatterstrom and midfielder Ehije Ukaki, both 21, have gone on season-long loans to Polish side Rakow Czestochowa and Bulgarian club Botev Plovdiv respectively.

Swede Zatterstrom has not featured for United since joining last August, while Nigerian Ukaki, who joined from Plovdiv in June last year, made his sole appearance in a Carabao Cup defeat by Birmingham City in August 2025.

Sutton sign Stevenage's Knight on loan

Joe Knight came through Brighton’s academy before joining Stevenage

Sutton United have signed midfielder Joe Knight on a three-month loan deal from League One club Stevenage.

The 20-year-old joined Boro in January from Brighton & Hove Albion, but did not make his debut until last month’s Carabao Cup defeat by Reading.

“A big, tall and athletic midfielder who has real quality on the ball, Joe also has a real edge,” Sutton boss Chris Agutter told the club’s website.

“He’s a proper competitor which will fit perfectly into our group.”